My 10-year-old son, Nathan, received a set of juggling clubs for his birthday. I thought to myself, “Hey, this looks easy!” On reviewing the accompanying book of instructions, my eyes began to roll to the back of my head and I could feel a rather large headache forming.

​The process of learning to juggle reminded me very much of all those managers who are also learning to juggle—juggling the human resources (HR) hat. Most of our independent attractions, such as family entertainment centers (FECs), smaller amusement parks, water parks, and cultural institutions, may not have the luxury of a dedicated and qualified HR team. Their HR reality often means someone, such as the general manager, has to juggle the HR hat as well as many other responsibilities. If that sounds like you, read on and see what we can learn from Nathan’s juggling instructions.